Taking A Peek Behind the Dreamy Delights By Sidra Moeid

Being an entrepreneur is no easy feat. Add to this the additional responsibilities of juggling a family and a desire to have work-life balance and passion. But somehow, Sidra Moeid, the visionary behind Dreamy Delights by Sidra have managed to attain it all.

Incredibly passionate about cooking and adamant on bringing a personal touch to elevate the festivities and occasions of those who come to her for cakes and cookies, Sidra has spilled to us some of the secrets behind her booming cafe that is a little over a year old.

On the Inspiration Behind Dreamy Delights

My inspiration is very simple; my kids. After my third-born, I was looking for a purpose. When you have kids, you don't want to leave them but at the same time, you also want to have a life. I was very clear that I don't want to leave them 9-5, I wanted to give time to them. So I thought, why not just begin by learning a skill, so that I could at least feed my kids something like pastries that bring joy? So I just did a class, and that's where it started. After going for the first few classes, I felt like it was quite interesting. I built up on that, did an amateur pastry course, did a sugar-craft course, and then did my son's first birthday cake. When I did that cake, the amount of joy and happiness I got, because of the little characters---my kids were really happy. I just posted it to my personal Facebook, and my friends and family were really happy with it and asked me to bake cakes for them too. So, it gave me a purpose that allowed me to be with the kids. It allowed me to do something that brought me and the others joy, so I kept at it.

My children are my first cheerleaders, they're always encouraging. On hard days, I'd ask them if I should give it up as I'm not able to give them as much time as I want to. To which, my son would be like, 'Are you crazy? You've come so far. Why would you give up now?'

Family support is the most important thing. You can say all you want that you're self-sufficient but you need somebody at the end of the day to recognise your work and to tell you that it is okay to be tired, to fail, to not be able to reach that level of perfection.

On the Impact of the Dubai Food Scene on her Business

The culture is very varied but my product is very simple; something that is present at every household and for every celebration. What they're looking for is whatever's trending at the moment or being enjoyed by the kids—be it Peppa Pig or Paw Patrol. After opening up is when I'm exploring more things. We realised a client base for something like Russian Pancakes, for instance. When you are making a food menu, you add items on the basis of customer demand. So it helped that my product is quite well-defined. I experimented with recipes because it should be something that I enjoy eating as well. And my clients connected with that. It's not too sugary or very buttery; it's balanced. The home-baking journey that you have is very research-and-development-oriented. All the cake recipes that you taste from my menu are from that journey. Although I have chefs, I have not added additional single cake flavour. Being a mother, having three kids, also helps me a lot to understand customer demand and flavour profiles.

On Advice for Dreaming or Up-And-Coming Entrepreneurs Like Her

I entered this business because I am passionate about it; I really love what I do. Whatever I'm earning, I'm reinvesting into this business. More than a business venture, this is very personal. If you want to do this, you should be very passionate about this. Because there are hundreds of players in this field, and I just entered without any market research. I said, 'I want to do it. I am going to do it.' That is my entry. But when I entered, I realised that there are overheads, there are expenses, staff salaries, rentals, etc. It is not easy, and some days, it will break you, both mentally and financially. So you need to have a strong financial background and always be prepared for the worst.

If I need to give a piece of advice, I would say, do your market research and be very passionate about it. Don't depend on anybody and be there for your business like you're there for your babies and your family. You cannot just hire people and think that your role is done.

When I was doing the research, I would call up cafes or send them messages, it would be very automated; For cakes, press one. For candles, press two. For balloons, press three. But I cannot connect to someone while making my order. But this is something very personal to me, and I've kept it that way, whether I have one order or one hundred orders. All orders are dealt with by me, so it is about human connection. I connect with people, that's why they come back to me or refer more people to me. I understand the emotional value of the order, whether its a general order or if its something very special. After the product is ready, I am the first person to check the order, take a picture, and send it to the client. To make sure that there's minimum reason for discomfort. Peoples' occasions should not go wrong because of me.

On her Journey as a Female Entrepreneur in the UAE

To be very honest, it was quite hectic but I would do it a hundred times over. Because I really enjoyed solving every mystery. I don't come from a business background, nobody in my family comes from the F&B industry. And F&B here is very complicated. Without having worked here, opening a business from scratch and figuring out everything on your own is not easy. But every puzzle that you solve gives you that confidence and joy that yes, I did it!

On her Favourite Item from the Menu

My favourite is always my Belgian Chocolate Cake. Even while baking from home, it was my best-seller and even after opening my cafe, it continues to be my best-seller. Some customers are addicted to it, so I love it, too.